Maybe the Country Needs an HSR - Industrial Complex

 This is what rail based passenger service is. It is partial  operation on the Northeast Corridor. Absolutely nothing is flying.

IF a modern HSR system was in place, the schedules would be likely unchanged with no cancellations.

The greatest country in the world might own incredible weapons.

It does not have a HSR - industrial complex. Maybe it should.

Reliability - Weather

The big snowstorm is moving into the northeast.

The rail based transport is operating.

Airlines are not operating.

Essentially outside the Northeast Corridor, Americans do not
have an alternative to air travel because
there is no passenger rail service with competitive transit times
that High Speed Rail HSR (110 + speed) provides.

A progress prone society would have an HSR system serving
vast portions of the country.

Persons saying the USA is the greatest country in the world
say so with prejudice and foolish pride.

The shut down of the country is a vulnerability. A shutdown due
to weather is stupid. Weather may lessen HSR capacity. But,
it does cotinue to function.





The impact upon the economy that is so unnecessary due to
weather is hard to understand why it is tolerated.

Closer Look Curve Realignment Frankford Curve 298

From east to west, leave existing right of way at about 40.006228N 75.087489W at the Adams Avenue Street underpass east of Torresdale Avenue itersection.

Some affected high value real estate in vicinity Adams Avenue and Torresdale, Avenue. 

 

Adams Avenue underpass showing high value real estate.

 

Crossing Frankford Creek

Detail of upper right corner of photo above. Facility to left lower of this detail shows a derelict, vacant, obsolete industrial structure from another era and century on Vand Dike Street.

 

Curbside on Van Dike Street looking toward the T intersection with Paul Street and the NEC cooridor

right of way in the upper left middle distance.

 

 Crossing Frankford Creek eased curve would affect an occupied and maintained  warehouse. This is a warehouse used by SEPTA. About one third of the structure has an industrial tenant.

  

Curbside view of Wheatsheaf Lane with obsolete, derelict, vacant industrial structure across from SEPTA warehouse on right. rowhouses to left across from the warehouse are on Coral Street.

 

Continued estimate relocated and eased curve location.

 

Detail of vacant warehouse on Frankford Avenue with intersection above out of frame with Buckus  Street.

 

Frankford Avenue looking towards NEC right of way. NEC substation in distant upper right hand part of photo.

 

Continuation of proposed line relocation crossing Castor Avenue and Sedgewick Avenue.

 

 

Intersection of Castor Avenue and Sedgewick Avenue from curbside looking towards underpass carrying NEC right of way. Substation for NEC is to the left. To the left is a vacant functionally obsolete industrial structure that is for sale.

The vacant industrial structure on Sedgewick Avenue  to the left with view of buildings in immediate vicinity of suggested new right of way.

 

Western end of proposed relocation of curve 298 at 40.002369N 75.104164W off Sedgewick Avenue and the intersection of L Street

 

The proposed line relocation would cross the Frankford Elevated line seen in the distance. The NEC right of way is seen in the upper left distance.

What would this curve easement accomplish? 

The elimination of a killer curve.

Correcting Frankford Junction Curve Alignment

This is about what a  curve alignment of roughly 1% would be for Frankford Junction. Not much real estate is involved. A progress prone political environment would have simply designed, acquired and built sometime in the past decades what was needed and solved this problem. This alignment would be capable of 90 mph.

Relying Upon 1864 Civil Engineering and Line Location

Here is a photo of the Amtrak derailment at the Frankford Junction curve in Philadelphia. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 identify parts of the fractured structural steel beam broken by the derailing train colliding with it as it passed. 4 identifies the crumpled remains of the first car behind the locomotive. 4 is in the center of the folded car with cranes to the left and right. 5 is the second car of the reaming six car string. The specially designed passenger car couplers did their job for the six cars as the cars did not separate. Had they had been connected with freight couplers the cars would have parted. Since about 1910 USA passenger cars have been designed for the frame to withstand 800,000 pounds of buff force. No other country has such a standard. 6 is the locomotive. Its right side headlight was damaged. 7 is the outside rail on the curve. It is higher than the inside rail opposite. That is referred to as the super elevated curve. Super elevation allows for faster speed through a curve like a race car track. The curve was rated at 50 miles per hour by the original owner and builder, the Pennsylvania Railroad. The current owner, Amtrak also has a 50 mile per hour speed restriction on the curve. The steel beam above and across the tracks at 8 suspends an electric wire above each track. A spring loaded device on the locomotive with a roller at the top contacts the wire and collects electric power to propel the electric motors driving the locomotive. The wires and steel beam supports are called catenary. I think that the locomotive grazed the catenary support enough for the first car to fully collide and fold. The locomotive separated and came to rest at 6. The firt car was pushed by the following cars to 4. As soon as the air brake line was severed from the locomotive the string of cars brakes activated explaining why the last two remained upright as the energy of the cars dissipated . Centrifugal force took the equipment to the right on a left curve. The right of way with the curve has been in that location since about 1864. Antiquated civil engineering line location was the basic cause of the accident.

Progress Prone? OR Progress Resistant?

"'Progress-prone' societies are rational, ascetic, ethical, universalist, achievement-oriented, activist, future-oriented and egalitarian. Such societies  seek a balance between group and individual interests and observe life as a positive-sum game.'

'In contrast, 'progress resistant'  societies are fatalistic, particularistic, ascriptive, passive, individualistic and familistic, past- or present-oriented, and hierarchal. Life is perceived as a zero-sum game.' ( See "A History of Credit and Power in the Western World" by S.B. MacDonald and A.L. Gastmann.)

Can Pennsylvania become 'progress-prone' state?

A 'progress-prone'  state is a state that is rational, achievement-oriented, future oriented and egalitarian. Sadly, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be characterized as being 'progress resistant.'

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania holds a unique position in the geography of the country. It sit astride the line of communication between the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast of the United States. As such, any high speed railroad that will be built will cross the Commonwealth.

The question  is how to build a high speed railroad system to fully benefit the Commonwealth as it fulfills its traditional "keystone" role.

How could a high speed railroad be built and operated given the "progress-resistant" nature of the Pennsylvania Assembly let alone the "progress-resistant " national legislature.

Insights Amtrak Train No. 188 Accident.

Noted transportation reporter, Don Phillips, in the September 2015 issue of Trains magazine shared some thoughts about engineer Brandon Bostian. Basically, it is a mystery as to what happened to have provoked Bostian's acctions on May 12, 2015. Phillips  writes that Mr. Bostian has the respect of the National Transportation Safety Board investigators. He is a "by-the-book railroader." He has cooperated fully.

The frustrating thing is that Mr. Bostian has had memory loos. He is unable to provide the whole picture.

The memory loss could have resulted from the trauma of the accident. There has been speculation by some that an undiagnosed medical condition might have been contributory. Petit mal seizure? A difficult to diagnose epileptic event? It is speculation.

The investigators, Phillips reports, have determined no problems with the track or roadbed. Bostian applied the brakes before the derailment.

Bostian's cell phone was not sending or receiving  a signal at or near the time of the accident.

Phillips wrote that the hole in the windshield was determined by the FBI to not have been a result of bullet. The investigation continues as to the cause of the windshield hole. It did not exist when the train left 30th Street Station.

Further speculation has developed around the throttle in the locomotive operated by Bostian. His previous run during his workday was in a locomotive with the throttle that was a reverse configuration.  Was there an impact to the windshield of sufficient impact to have startle and frightened Bostian to have moved the throttle the wrong direction causing him to accelerate. The capability of the locomotive's acceleration is remarkable. So, might it be determined that sequence of events was windshield damage, acceleration, temporary confusion of judgement, brake application, derailment ending with Bostian's reaction to use his cellphone to call for aid?